Key holder

ABSTRACT

The key holder is provided with a cylindrical key hook retainer having a plurality of slots each formed to provide an aperture through which the head of a key hook may be inserted readily into the retainer, or withdrawn therefrom. Located within the retainer is a rotatable cylindrical closure also provided with slots each formed to provide an opening through which a key hook head may be inserted or withdrawn when it is aligned with an aperture of a slot in the key retainer. The closure is made of deformable material and the openings in the slots thereof are slightly smaller than the heads of the key hooks so that the latter must be forced therethrough.

United States Patent Elsenheimer 1 51 Nov. 28, 1972 1 KEY HOLDER [72] Inventor: Charles W. flsenl'leimer, Meriden,

, Conn.

[73] Assignee: Prentice Corporation, Kensington,

Conn.

[22] Filed: Aug. 9, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 170,115

52 vs. C]. ..70 456 B 511 Int. Cl. ..A47g 29/10 581 Field 61 Search ..70/456 B, 456 R; 150/40; 24/3 K [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,672,748 3/1954 Jones ..70/456 B 2,330,546 9/1943 Berger ..70/456 B 2,628,492 2/1953 Sonntag ...7o/456 B 3,485,070 12/1969 Gleeson ..70/456B Primary ExaminerRobert L. Wolfe Attomey-John J. Hart et al.

[57] ABSTRACT The key holder is provided with a cylindrical key hook retainer having a plurality of slots each formed to pro- 1 vide an aperture through which the head of a key hook may be inserted readily into the retainer, or withdrawn therefrom. Located within the retainer is a rotatable cylindrical closure also provided with slots each formed to provide an opening through which a key hook head may be inserted or withdrawn when it is aligned with an aperture of a slot in the key retainer.

The closure is made of deformable material and the openings in the slots thereof are slightly smaller than the heads of the key hooks so that the latter must be forced therethrough.

.4Clains,7DrawingFigures KEY HOLDER THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to key holders and more particularly to the means for retaining the key carrying hooks on the holders.

Key holders of the type which this invention is concerned usually include a retainer provided with a plurality of slots narrower than the heads of the key hooks which carry the keys and having enlarged portions providing apertures through which such key hook heads may be passed. Various means have been devised for blocking and unblocking these enlarged slot portions or apertures at the will of the user respectively to lock an inserted key hook head in the retainer and permit it to be removed from the retainer. The prior constructions which have been devised for blocking and unblocking such enlarged slot portions usually simultaneously unblock all of the enlarged slot portions of the retainer and should the key holder be in an inverted position or close to it, one or all of the key hooks can fall out of the retainer and the keys attached thereto inadvertently dropped.

The primary purpose of the instant invention is to provide a key hook retainer which will not have the above indicated disadvantage.

In accordance with the invention the aforesaid purpose is accomplished by associating with the retainer a movable liner or closure member made of resilient plastic material and having slots provided with enlarged portions providing openings which when aligned with the enlarged slot portions of the retainer enable a key hook head to be inserted into or removedfrom the container. The enlarged slot portions of the liner are slightly smaller than the heads of the key hooks so that the latter will all be prevented from passing through the retainer enlarged slot portions except the particular key hook head that is being positively pulled through an aligned liner enlarged slot portion.

The advantages of the invention, as well as other features thereof, will become more apparent from a perusal of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a key holder embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the holder shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the holder shown in FIG.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are end elevational views looking toward the left and right, respectively, of the holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the plastic liner or closure member of the holder; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of such liner.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally indicates a key holder embodying the invention. The keyholder comprises a supporting plate 11 made of spring metal and provided with two openings 12 through which eyelets or other suitable fastening members may be passed to secure the plate to a foldable casing of leather or the like. The upper portion of the plate 1 l is bent forwardly to form at the top thereof a tubular key hook retainer member 14. The retainer 14 is provided with a plurality of transverse slots 15 generally of a narrow width but each has at the upper end thereof an enlarged portion 16 through which the head 17 of a key hook 18 may be passed to attach the hook to the holder or detach it therefrom. The enlarged slot portions or apertures 16 which are located along the upper rear portion of the tubular retainer 14, are of a size to readily permit the passage of the key hook head 17 therethrough. The width of the slots 15, however, is less than the size of the key hook head so that the latter is not passable therethrough, but is such that the shank of the key hook is freely movable therealong. The bottom ends of the slots 15 terminate at the bottom of the retainer so that the key hooks can hang vertically from the holder when it is in the upright position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. It will thus be apparent that when the key hooks 18 are normally suspended from the key holder as shown in FIG. 1 they will remain secured thereto and must be lifted to bring the heads 17 thereof to a position in which they can be pulled through the slot apertures 16. If as previously indicated the holder is in an inverted position or close to it, the key hook heads 17 can readily pass through the slot apertures 16 and the key hooks thus accidently become detached from the holder. To prevent this, there is provided in accordance with the invention, a tubular closure or retainer liner designated generally by the reference numeral 20.

The closure or liner 20 is made of an integral molded piece of resilient plastic such as Nylon, Celcon, Delrin, etc. This integral member is composed of a tubular body or lining member 21 having an outside diameter approximating the inside diameter of the retainer 14. In the assembly of the holder, the retainer 14 is rolled closed around such body 21 of the liner. The two parts are permanently maintained in this assembled relation by two circular end walls 22 and 23 which are integral with and close the ends of the liner body 21 and which have an outside diameter approximating the outside diameter of the retainer 14. One of such end walls is provided with means to enable it to be manually manipulated to rotatably reciprocate the liner relative to the retainer 14. In the embodiment illustrated, end wall 23 is provided with a finger piece 24 to effect such rotatable'reciprocation. The range of rotational movement of the liner 20 is restricted by the coaction of an inwardly directed detent projection 25 in FIG. 2 formed on the retainer 14 with a transverse recess provided in the peripheral surface of the liner body 21. As is shown more clearly in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings, the transverse recess is composed of two Spaced spherical indentations 26,26 forming the ends of the recess and an arcuately-shaped connecting indentation 27 spanning the space between the indentations 26,26. The spherical indentations 26,26 have a depth greater than the depth of the projection 25 while the connecting indentation 27 is approximately one half as deep as the projection 25. With this construction, the projection 25 will coact with the spherical indentions 26,26 to lock the liner 20 in two positions relative to the retainer 14. When, however, the liner is positively rotated from one position to another by manual force applied to the finger piece 24, the resilient plastic material forming the inner wall of the connecting indentation 27 will give sufficiently to enable the projection 25 to pass from one spherical indentation 26 to the other. It will be noted from the drawings that the projection 25 and the indentations 26,26,27 are located adjacent to the end wall 23 provided with the finger piece 24 and between such wall and the aperture 16 of the adjacent end slot of the series of slots provided in the retainer 14.

The retainer slots 15 are matched by transverse slots 30 formed in the tubular body 21 of the liner and having at their upper ends openings 31 which come into registry with the retainer apertures 16 when the retainer projection 25 is engaged with the spherical indentation 26'. The locking recess constituted of the indentations 26,26 and 27 has an overall length a few thousandths less than the diameter of the apertures 16, so that when the finger piece or lever 24 is actuated to rotate the liner to bring the projection into engagement with the spherical indentation 26, a small portion of the upper ends the openings 31 may be viewed through the apertures 16, as is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. However, as is also indicated in FIG. 2, the major por tions of the apertures 16 will be blocked by the material of the liner body above the liner openings 31 to lock the key hook heads -17 within the retainer 14. It will thus be understood that even though the apertures 16 are practically completely blocked by the liner in the aforesaid position thereof, there is sufficient opening left exposed in such apertures to enable the key hooks to be swivelled through 180 to bring the keys attached thereto to a position in which they can be used freely to open locks. The liner body however, will function as a stop to prevent swivelling movement of the key hooks substantially beyond such 180 so that when released the key hooks will have a tendency to fall down to normal position against the front surface of the key plate.

The liner openings 31 are slightly less in diameter than that of retainer apertures 16 and than the transverse diameter of the key hook heads 17. For example, if the diameter of the retainer apertures 16 is 0.140 inches, and the transverse diameter of the key hook heads 17 is 0.125, the diameter of the liner openings 31 will be in the neighborhood of 0.120. Thus, even though the liner openings 31 may be in registry with the retainer apertures 16, none of the hooks 18 can become inadvertently separated from the holder. A selected hook, however, can be removed by exerting a positive pulling force thereon sufficient to enable the head thereof to snap through the resilient plastic aperture that is restraining its passage.

It will be noted from a comparison of FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings, with FIGS. l-3 thereof, that the liner slots 30 further differ from the retainer slots 15, in that while the necks 32 of the openings 31 thereof have a width approximating that of the slots 15, below such necks 32, the slots 30 are substantially wider than the slots 15. The width of the slots 30 from the necks 32 thereof, to the other ends thereof, is approximately equal to the transverse diameter of the key hook heads 17, so that when a key hook is released after usage or insertion into the key holder, the sides of the associated slot 30 will guide the key hook head causing it to track down without substantial sidewise displacement of the key hook to the latters normal suspended position. The slots 30 are also slightly longer than the retainer slots 15 so that in the normal suspended position of the key hooks, the heads thereof will be in engagement with the metal of the retainer plate. Thus, throughout much of the movement of the keg hooks in the usage of the holder, the heads thereo Wlll be in engagement with the metal of the key plate, thereby reducing the wear of the liner to a minimum.

I Claim:

1. A key holder comprising a key hook retainer having a plurality of transverse slots with enlarged portions providing apertures through which the heads of key hooks are insertable, closure means located within said retainer and having openings registerable with the apertures in the slots of said retainer, said closure means being movable relative to said retainer to bring the openings thereof into and out of registration with said slot apertures so as to'unblock and block, respectively, said slot apertures, said closure means openings being smaller than said slot apertures and the transverse cross-sectional area of the heads of the key hooks, and being defined by resilient plastic material capable of yielding to permit such key hook heads to pass therethrough under an applied force.

2. A keyholder as defined in claim 1, in which said key hook retainer is tubularly-shaped, and said closure means is composed of a plastic tubularly-shaped member enclosed by said key hook retainer and having a plurality of transverse slots matching said retainer slots, the registerable openings in said closure means being formed by enlarged portions in the transverse slots of said plastic member.

3. A key holder as defined in claim 2, in which the apertures in said retainer slots and the openings in said plastic member slots are located at one end of said slots, and in which said plastic member slots from the necks of the openings thereof to the other ends thereof are wider than said retainer slots and tend to form guides for the key hook heads in the movements of the key hooks in said slots.

4. A key holder as defined in claim 2, including manipulator means connected to one end of said plastic member, an inwardly directed projection provided on said retainer between said manipulator means and the adjacent end slot of said retainers, and a transverse recess provided in the peripheral surface of said plastic member coacting with said projection to restrict the movements of said plastic member by said manipulator means, said recess having end portions of a depth at least as great as the depth of said projection and having an intermediate portion connecting said end portions and of a depth less than the depth of said projection. 

1. A key holder comprising a key hook retainer having a plurality of transverse slots with enlarged portions providing apertures through which the heads of key hooks are insertable, closure means located within said retainer and having openings registerable with the apertures in the slots of said retainer, said closure means being movable relative to said retainer to bring the openings thereof into and out of registration with said slot apertures so as tO unblock and block, respectively, said slot apertures, said closure means openings being smaller than said slot apertures and the transverse cross-sectional area of the heads of the key hooks, and being defined by resilient plastic material capable of yielding to permit such key hook heads to pass therethrough under an applied force.
 2. A keyholder as defined in claim 1, in which said key hook retainer is tubularly-shaped, and said closure means is composed of a plastic tubularly-shaped member enclosed by said key hook retainer and having a plurality of transverse slots matching said retainer slots, the registerable openings in said closure means being formed by enlarged portions in the transverse slots of said plastic member.
 3. A key holder as defined in claim 2, in which the apertures in said retainer slots and the openings in said plastic member slots are located at one end of said slots, and in which said plastic member slots from the necks of the openings thereof to the other ends thereof are wider than said retainer slots and tend to form guides for the key hook heads in the movements of the key hooks in said slots.
 4. A key holder as defined in claim 2, including manipulator means connected to one end of said plastic member, an inwardly directed projection provided on said retainer between said manipulator means and the adjacent end slot of said retainers, and a transverse recess provided in the peripheral surface of said plastic member coacting with said projection to restrict the movements of said plastic member by said manipulator means, said recess having end portions of a depth at least as great as the depth of said projection and having an intermediate portion connecting said end portions and of a depth less than the depth of said projection. 